Skip the traditional meat options and opt for these healthy, vegetarian style sweet potato enchiladas with a homemade red enchilada sauce. 

If there is one type of food that I could literally eat day in and day out it would be Mexican food. Basically, how many amazing ways can you eat a tortilla? Lately, my go-to item has been enchiladas but in the spirit of celebrating #MeatlessMonday, I wanted to make a vegetarian version that would be just as savory and fulfilling. Whether you’re wanting to reduce your meat intake or are vegan, sweet potatoes are a great substitute for traditional meat options. Season them, roast them, and stuff them into a tortilla with black beans and corn and you’ve got the makings of something really tasty. Trust me when I tell you, sweet potato enchiladas are going to be your new thing.

The key to this recipe though is a homemade enchilada sauce. Now, while it’s not super authentic with dried chiles, this is a quicker, appease the masses version that tastes really really good. Skip the canned version with unnecessary ingredients that we can’t pronounce and whip up a batch of your own sauce that cooks during the time the enchiladas are baking. 

Sweet Potato Enchiladas with Homemade Enchilada Sauce

Ingredients: 

8 medium size corn tortillas

2 medium sweet potatoes, cubed

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup fresh or frozen corn

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 tbsp chipotle chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1-2 cups shredded cheese

cilantro, chopped

avocado, diced

lime

Ingredients for Homemade Enchilada Sauce: 

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 can tomato sauce

2 tbsp chili powder (adjust as needed)

2 tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot powder

1 cup vegetable broth

1/4 tsp ground paprika

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp fine sea salt

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. 

In a large mixing bowl, add the cubed sweet potatoes, olive oil, sea salt, black pepper, chili powder and garlic powder. Toss until well combined. Bake for 25-30 minutes until sweet potatoes are tender. 

While the sweet potatoes are roasting, make the enchilada sauce. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium and add the cornstarch/arrowroot and the chili powder. Stir constantly until well combined, approximately 2 minutes. Mixture should be a light brown color. Stir in tomato sauce, broth, cumin, powder, sea salt and black pepper. Reduce heat to a simmer and let cook for 15-20 minutes stirring occasionally until it’s reached the desired consistency. 

Remove sweet potatoes from oven (keep oven on) and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the black beans, corn and 1/4 cup enchilada sauce. Stir to combine. Spray the bottom and sides of a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Add a thin layer of enchilada sauce. 

Assemble the enchiladas. In one tortilla, add a large spoonful of sweet potato mixture, 1 tbsp enchilada sauce and a sprinkle of shredded cheese (about 1 tbsp). Place roll side down in the baking dish and continue to assemble the remaining enchiladas. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes until bubbling hot. 

Top with diced avocado and chopped cilantro. 

Serve immediately.

This is one of those meals that you can’t help but take spoonfuls of the sweet potato, black bean and corn mixture while you’re supposed to be rolling them into tortillas. It’s the perfect vegetarian combo and they make great leftovers as well (unless you’re like me and never make it to leftovers). Before you start dishing up these bubbling hot sweet potato enchiladas, pour yourself a glass of Cambria Wines Rosé of Pinot Noir. It’s red fruit characteristics and crisp finish work really well with this meatless entrée. I’m here to declare that the Rosé is a year round wine and never goes out of style!

Love this post? Share it with your friends or PIN to save for later! 

Written By : Kristin Mansky